Letters of Franz Liszt Volume II Part 45

"Still more incredible One!

"I am in my shirt-sleeves and under no circ.u.mstances inclined to give my work to Leipzig or anywhere else!

"Love me!

Thy

R. W."]

195. To the Kammersangerin [Private Concert Singer to the Court]

Marie Breidenstein in Erfurt

[Died 1892. She dedicated herself with satisfaction to the rendering of Liszt's compositions, and was also his pupil for piano.]

Dear honored One,

Perhaps the Schubert songs with my most modest instrumentation would suit somewhere in your programme. Here are the printed scores with the orchestral parts. "Gretchen" and "Erlkonig" have been much used and are played out. This is not so much the case with the "Young Nun"; and Mignon's wonderful song, "So la.s.st mich scheinen bis ich werde" [So let me seem till I become], is scarcely heard--or appreciated!

But if you will once more spare me an hour in Weimar, I will accompany these 4 instrumented Schubert-Songs for you.

Next Sat.u.r.day departs from here

Your sincerely devoted

F. Liszt

Weimer, Monday, September 18th, 1876

N.B.--The instrumentation compelled me to a few little different readings in Schubert's four songs: on this account the singer must go by my score-edition as regards the rests and the very slight alterations.

196. To Camille Saint-Saens

Very Dear Friend

In sending you today the transcription of your "Danse macabre," I beg you to excuse my unskilfulness in reducing the marvellous coloring of the score to the possibilities of the piano. No one is bound by the impossible. To play an orchestra on the piano is not yet given to any one. Nevertheless we must always stretch towards the deal across all the more or less dogged and insufficient forms. It seems to me that Life and Art are only good for that.

In sincere admiration and friendship,

Your very devoted

F. Liszt

Hanover, October 2nd, 1876

197. To Professor L. A. Zellner, General Secretary of the Conservatoire of Music in Vienna

[From a copy of a draft by Dr. Mirus in Weimar.]

October 3lSt, 1876

Honored Friend,

Be so very kind as to convey my sincere thanks to Directors Mosenthal and Herbeck for the friendly communication about the Beethoven-Monument Concerts in Vienna next March. A few weeks earlier I beg you to send me the programmes, to which Beethoven's Concerto in E-flat major, and also as a Finale, in case the "Hammerclavier" appears admissible, the "Choral Fantasia," will willingly be added with his old hands by

Your faithful and most obedient

F. Liszt

198. To Hans Richter, Conductor of the Royal Opera in Vienna

[From a copy by Dr. Mirus in Weimar.-Addressee (born 1843 in Hungary) the renowned conductor, since 1876, of the Bayreuth Festspiel, and, in addition to his opera work in Vienna, conductor of the Philharmonic Concerts there and of the Richter- Concerts in London.]

November 10th, 1876

I thank you most sincerely for your friendly intention of giving my Beethoven-Cantata in the performance at the Royal Opera House for the benefit of the monument to Beethoven. By today's post you will receive the whole printed score, together with a separate edition of the orchestrated Andante (from the B-flat major Trio), which shines, like a guiding star, above my insignificant work.

The Cantata was published by Kahnt, Leipzig, in the year 1870, and was also first brought out in Weimar, then in Pest, on the occasion of the Beethoven Jubilee Celebration. If, my dear Sir, the orchestration to some extent pleases you, I should advise you to take up this alone in your programme on the 15th December.

The remaining movements might meet with many hindrances in Vienna...and, frankly, I have become altogether somewhat shy as regards the performance of my compositions. Although I quietly endure their foregone want of success with prevailing criticism, it is my duty not to let my friends be injured by it.

Once again hearty thanks for your goodwill and meritorious conducting of Wagner.

F. Liszt

199. To Breitkopf and Hartel

Dear Sirs,

Your communication to me of the 25th October has been very much delayed, owing to my change of residence several times during the past weeks. There is surely no need to a.s.sure you that I never thought of causing any unpleasantness at all to any one--more especially judicially [The publisher of "Tannhauser" had tried to make out that Liszt's arrangement of the March was a "piracy."]

In particular my connection with your very honorable house for more than 30 years has ever been most simple and honest. This is also shown by my two quoted letters of the 17th February and 3rd April, 1853, with reference to the publication by your firm of the "Tannhauser and Lohengrin pieces," whose publication at that time I was quite "the agreement" with Richard Wagner in suggesting.

Certainly I could not, without injuring the Tannhauser March, go all through the original, loading it with shakes, and here and there adding arpeggios. However, if "connoisseurs" will look through my transcription in detail, they will easily discover that neither the variation on the princ.i.p.al theme, nor the modulating of the second, nor in any manner the whole setting of the pianoforte arrangement, could be found fault with as a "piracy."

With much esteem,

Very sincerely yours,

F. Liszt